America’s Best Dance Crew(s)

(After re-reading this post, I just have to warn you that I may have gotten a little carried away… But hopefully all the videos are entertaining enough to make up for that, and you’ll be patient enough to stick with me till the end!)

If you’ve been subscribed to this blog for awhile, you’ll know that I really enjoy dancing. I might not be the best dancer in the world (though I’m convinced that if I had some training I’d be pretty good), but I love watching other people dance. I don’t watch a lot of dancing shows like So You Think You Can Dance or Dancing with the Stars, but one show that I’ve been with since the beginning is America’s Best Dance Crew.

This show takes various dance crews from all around the nation (and sometimes from other countries) and challenges them to complete various tests – dancing in new styles, using props, creating a story, etc. The show is currently in its seventh season, and even though it’s not what it once was, I can’t bring myself to not watch it.

Why I Like It

This show focuses mostly on hip-hop styles, which I think are vastly underrated. I have respect for anyone who dances – ballet, tap, ballroom, b-boy, etc. But I don’t think it’s a two-way mirror. A lot of people don’t respect street dancing like they do “regular” dancing. This show helps showcase this type of dancing and exposes a lot more people to it. It’s a beautiful thing.

This show also brings various crews from around the country right into your living room. Some of these crews have been through a lot – homelessness, car accidents, death of family members. You feel for these people and you want to see them succeed. All they want to do is live their dream – and can we blame them for that? If you’re a writer, I’m sure you know exactly how they feel.

I also really love the hosts. Judges can make or break a reality TV show, much as has been done by American Idol for me. There’s a panel of three of them and JC Chasez (from N*Sync) and Lil’ Mama (a rapper, singer, dancer) have been there since day one. The first four seasons started out with Shane Sparks (whom I loved) but he was naughty and got in trouble. He was replaced with Omarion, but I think he was naughty and got in trouble too. Finally, ABDC seems to have scored with D-trix, who was a member of the season 3 winning group Quest Crew. JC is like the Simon of the show, since he’s probably the most honest. BUT he’s not mean, he just says it like it is. He’s about the only one who gets booed at, but I think what he says is the most constructive advice the crews get. He’s definitely my favorite.

And lastly, let’s state the obvious: the dancing. These people are incredible. I have so much appreciation for what they do, and it’s just insane how good some of them are. I’ve learned so much about different styles and terminology from watching this show. Everyone, from the champions to the crew that may have been kicked off in the first season, are all so, so talented.

My Favorite Crews

Like I said before, I’ve been watching this show for seven years. The first season is still my favorite, but I’ve since fallen in love with various crews throughout the whole series. Here’s a few videos of some of my favorite performances. If you’re interested, I’ve provided a link to compilation videos so you can see all of the routines from that crew.

JabbaWockeeZ – “Ayo Technology” (These guys are the season 1 winners and are generally considered to be the best crew to ever have graced the ABDC stage.)Compilation Video

Fanny Pak – “Get Your Freak On” (This one was absolutely incredible and definitely one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. They were season 3 third place winners.)Compilation Video

Vogue Evolution – “Calabria 2008” (I love this crew because they are so proud of who they are. And voguing is just awesome in general. They came in fifth place on season 4.)Compilation Video

We Are Heroes – “Vogue” (This crew was the first ever all-girl group to win (season 4) and there were all sorts of emotions when I saw them take that trophy. These girls are fierce, and they can do anything a guy can do!)Compilation Video

I aM Me – “S&M” (This crew won season 6 and are by far the most creative crew I’ve ever seen.)Compilation Video

(Okay, that was A LOT harder than I thought it would be. Some of them have SO many good performances.)

ABDC Season 7

Season 7 has so far been much better than some of the previous ones. I’m invested in a lot more crews, instead of just one or two, and I’m actually wowed by performances each week. There were a few seasons there right in the middle that I just didn’t care about.

So, here’s a quick rundown on my favorite crews. Let’s see if I can correctly guess the winner, too. 😉

Fanny Pak – They decided to return for a second chance but were just kicked off last week. I’m really on the fence about that because they’re one of my all-time favorite crews. However, I’m not sure they should’ve come back in the first place. They had their chance, you know? It was nice seeing them again, but their previous routines have stuck with me a lot more than these recent ones.

8 Flavahz – There was a group on last year called ICONic Boyz. They were a crew of very young (like, maybe 12-year-old?) boys. They were good, but they weren’t great. However, they did happen to come in second place. Their dancing was on point, but the routines were just lackluster to me and I don’t think they should’ve made it that far. 8 Flavahz is like the girl version of ICONic Boyz, but they. are. amazing. Seriously. I’m just blown away each and every week by how incredible their routines are. I honestly hope they win. Here’s a clip of my favorite one so far:

Most Wanted Crew – This is a crew made up of dance teachers, and I love everything that they represent. They’re an incredible crew, but they’re hit and miss with me sometimes. They need to be amazing every week to win, but I think they probably have the best chances of doing it. I guess time will only tell!

Have you seen this show before? Did you like any of the videos above? Which one was your favorite?

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I have never seen this show, but I’ve heard a lot about it from friends. I’m not a fan of dancing shows as a whole. BUT. This was nuts. I watched every single video. I clicked play on the first one expecting…well…not what I saw. Before I knew it, I had watched all of them. My favorite was I aM Me. Very good post.

I’ve studied dance all my life and I know how hard hip-hop is and I have great respect for all the crews. It’s a beautiful thing when artists come together like this. I’m flagging this post b/c I have not seen all these yet. Thanks, Karen!!